Kickstart the summer with Afterhills: more than 150 artists (18 trance), a ton of good music and a field full of dreamers.
Well, this it is. Afterhills is just around the corner. Only a couple of days till we kickstart this summer with 4 amazing days full of good music and beautiful people. Dreamers. 'Cuz this is the focus. Daydreaming of something perfect, night dreaming of goosebumps. They just announced the full line up and it is insane.
From the trance point of view we have a pretty interesting list and I want to see all the names:
1. Vini Vici (I really like the sets I enjoyed till now, looking forward for a new one)
2. David Gravell (I am a huge fan of him, not matter if he is on the right side of trance music or not, as some would say. I am in love with some of his reworks and I am sure I will enjoy his set 110%)
3. Blastoyz (Crazy craziness since I first heard of him. Really really good with what is he doing)
4. Aly & Fila (You cannot say trance without saying Aly & Fila too)
5. Sander Van Doorn (Happy he got back to trance music with his Purple Haze name and looking forward to see what he has prepared for Afterhills)
6. KhoMa (Never seen him playing. Want to experience the end of a great day with him behind the decks)
7. Paul Van Dyk (Paul is my first music crush, and nothing can stay between me and him when he is playing at an event I am attending)
8. Cosmic Gate (Music crush! Music crush alert! )
9. Ben Nicky (I've seen a lot of comments regarding his sets lately, I want to see it for myself too)
10. Bogdan Vix (Pillar fo the Romanian Trance Community. Do I have to say more?)
11. Above & Beyond (They had one hell of a set at Timeshift last year, looking forward for the magic again)
12. Andrew Rayel (I have a lot of good memories from his sets, looking forward to see what else he is doing right now)
13. George Andreas (This little one, the youngest of the Romanian Trance Family's DJ is doing a great job behind the decks)
14. Exolight (One of the hottest names in the trance industry right now)
15. Nikolauss (My forever music crush. My forever life crush. I know a little bit of how is set is going on, looking forward to hear it live!)
16. Suncatcher (Great music man. Amazing DJ and trance producer. )
17. Sundancer (Friend. Never disappoints behind the decks)
17. Starpicker (Friend. Wine buddy. Music buddy. I am sure I will get to hear a lot of pure music in his set!)
I want to see them all. But I need to find out how cloning works first. Because the timetable was announced, and a lot of trance acts are happening in the same time between the Mainstage and The Shed stage. See the rest of the timetable here: facebook.com/afterhillsfestival/posts/2043181182604702 .
I am not sure what am I going to do, I am not sure who I will end up to see, but I am sure I will have the time of my life at Afterhills. Because the team is great, the event is great and the people are awesome. The music will perfectly complete the vibe. The friends will be there. Happiness will happen there.
Looking forward to see old friends, to meet new people and enjoy 4 full days of complete madness. See you there!
More details are on their Facebook page. Check it out!
Also, give a follow to their blog too. A lot if trips and tricks, a lot of interesting things are said there. Be sure you won't be loosing any of it!
Trance Horizons: The Next Journey with Mark Sixma, Matt Bukovski and Antony Waldhorn
The guys from Sounday Events never stop! They had their first event last year with Alexander Popov, Dj Feel, Nikolauss and Deepshader and they continue! They announced a while ago the next journey, this time with Mark Sixma, Matt Bukovski, Anthony Waldhorn and WAYR on February 24th at Atrium Concert Hall!
After waiting for so long, they finally announced the new event, and I could not be happier! Mark Sixma is amazing behind the decks and his music is perfect! Matt Bukovski releases true trance music and he will make me goosebump a lot! Saw him last at Luminosity, and he had a real pleasure of a set!
Tickets are on sale online. You can grab yours here: http://bit.ly/thtickets. You can also buy tickets locally from the Afisha's office on Ion Neculce Street, no. 5 every Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. Price is only 200 MLD (aprox. 40 Ron or 9 euro).
They also have a nice contest for those music talented people who would like to open up the event. They ask only for a one hour proper warm up mix. Interested? They have more info here. Good luck!
I will definitely be there and enjoy another trance party with the Moldavian Trance Family. We already are a couple of people that will be joinig this from Iasi, and we all cannot wait!
Trance on! See you there!
One city. A lot of dreamers: Afterhills 2018
Hello, I am Oana and I am a trance addict. I am a music addict. When I see an event I know I can attend my heart fills with joy and tries to pump out of my chest. I start to experience heavy breathing and a lot of goosebumps. I have huge withdrawals from the previous event I attended and I feel like dying if nothing else is announced. I am getting high on music and I cannot imagine life without it.
I missed Afterhills last year and I still didn't forgive myself for that. Even tough I was partying in the mighty Amsterdam, I still wished to experience the first major festival in my city: Iasi (Romania). So when they announced the official dates: May 31 - June 4 2018, I knew I have to block my calendar for these days. My addiction will be fed and I will be happy.
And after teasing us for weeks with the day they will announce the first phase line-up and tickets, they finally did it. Who registered on their website was lucky enough to be the first to find out and buy his ticket to happiness.
The 1st phase of the line-up looks something like this:
Of course, I don't know all the names. But of course, I will google everyone! I heard of Hurts and their live performances and I have a very excited colleague at the office about them. I listened to some of their tracks today and I was impressed. I like what are they doing and I will put them on my TO SEE list. I do not usually listen to The Crystal Method, but I enjoy their music at the parties. And I am expecting an explosive set. Seen Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano at the Untold Festival #1 and I enjoyed their set. Not too much, because ATB was next, but they did a great job. A lot of Romanian names on the line up too. Great names actually: Firma, Subcarpati, Suie Paparude, Zdob si Zdup, these are few of them I didn't see for quite a while and I am excited to see again.
Aaaaaaand of course, the trance names (for now): Vini Vici, Bogdan Vix and George Andreas. Vini Vici does an amazing job behind the decks and I cannot wait to see them (him) again, but this time in Iasi. Bogdan Vix is a great artist and human being and one of those few people that still keep the Romanian Trance Scene alive. He is working really hard on multiple fronts to make this happen: producer, DJ, promoter and trance addict. George Andreas is an upcoming DJ and I am curious of how a live set from him might sound. I've heard some of his mixes, but I wanna see him live too.
The first 5000 tickets are already on sale for only 187 Ron (~40 euros). You can grab yours from afterhills.com. After December 15, tickets will cost 235 Ron (~ 50 euros). You can find more details on their website. You might want to buy your ticket now and be a loooot happier after they announce even more artists. The ones you were waiting for. (*wink)
Till then, just warm up yourself with my very first set and hopefully not the last one. Trance on!
5+ reasons I am not missing Paul Van Dyk - From Then On @Kristal Club, Bucharest
This is getting closer and closer with each day. I cannot belive there are only 2 weeks till I go to Bucharest to experience what sounds like an amazing event. ^_^ I have no doubts I will enjoy every minute of it and I cannot wait to be there.
Beside me beeing really excited to be there, I also have some specific reason of why I chose to go and why I am expecting nothing but greatness from it:
1. Paul Van Dyk. The trance god himself is coming back to Romania. Even tough I never saw him playing in Romania before, but in other countries, I cannot wait to experience his work once again. He is an amazing DJ and his live sets are to die for. Also, he is one of my trance crushes, so no other words needed.
2. Jordan Suckley. This man is an amazing artist and a true show-man. If you are not following his journeys on his Social Media accounts, then you're losing something great! His scratches, his playings with the decks are great and I cannot wait to experience those live. I always like when a DJ is more than a DJ behind the decks and when there is something extra added to the performance.
3. Bogdan Vix. It's been a hard year for him, for the trance community and for the Romanian Trance scene. He got through all of what happened with all the goods and the bads and he seems to be doing a lot of great music lately and getting a lot of support. (3uphoria just got released. Take a listen and grab your copy. It will definitely worth it.) I am glad he does this last trance event for us for this 2017 and I hope he will not stop here. 2018 already sounds promising. I heard some rummors. ;)
4. Alex M.O.R.P.H. - I first saw him at Luminosity and he had a really good set. I want to repeat that experience. Plus, there are some of his tracks that I will never forget: An Angel's Love (w Sylvia Tosun), The Reason (w Natalie Gioia) and others that make me his forever fan.
5. A new TRANCE gathering. I am always saying trance is connecting good people and that the trance family is something really good for the world. I cannot wait to see some dearly missed faces and to reconnect. It has been a while since we last saw each other and nothign compares with a good old get around face to face (not just online) with all the memories and plans for future getaways.
New trip to trance heaven. Amazing music to celebrate again and again. This reason doesn't need a number. It is the first, the second, the third, the forever reason for every event I chose to go to. I love this music so much. It is a huge part of my life and I cannot imagine what I'd do if it weren't for TRANCE music and all its feelings.
Do you think it this enough to let people not miss this event? Do you have more thoughts? Just let me know below! Trance on!
Trance Gate Winter Edition with Gai Barone, Cold Blue and Shugz
Italy is a very special country for me. Beside having great food and wine, they also have beautiful trance people. People which I met this year. People I am already missing too much. Yes. They are crazy party people, but amazing ones to have beside you while singing along and dancing to yout favorite tunes.
And on December 2nd, Trance Gate has its Winter Edition and invited some really cool artists on the line-up: Cold Blue, Gai Barone and Shugz.
So, when I saw this event I said there is no way I could miss it, but I haven't discovered how to teleport myself yet. My first time in Milan was amazing. The city, the hotel, the venue were perfect. So, I can't belive I cannot repeat the experience again this year. The Romanian Trance Community is already partying on December 1st with Paul Van Dyk, and available flights are not helping me to get there on time. Buuuuut, I will definitely recover with their next event next year!
If this event is possible for you, don't miss it. The venue is great and the sound is perfect. I am pretty sure everything will be ok and that this will be an event to remember.
Full line-up:
Gai Barone (ita) https://soundcloud.com/
Cold Blue (Ger) https://soundcloud.com/
Shugz Music (Uk) https://soundcloud.com/
Opening by: Francesco Sambero
Other info:
- VENUE: SPACE 25 Toffetti
- SATURDAY 02/12/2017
- START: 23.00 (Closing: 05.00)
- TICKETS: Only Door-tickets | price: 20€
- TABLE RESERVATION: trancegatemilano@gmail.com
- Infoline: +39 3289650326
Facebook RSVP
Trance Gate On Facebook
December 1st. Romania is in for a proper trance celebration!
Ohhh yes! Yes yes yes! Million times yes! That is what I was saying on the official event when I saw the announcement: Paul Van Dyk if coming back to Romania with his celebration party for his last album: From Then On.
After missing him at Electric Castle, I literally hated myself for not working a little bit more to make that happen. Even tough I saw Paul last year at Luminosity, there is nothing compared to him on the stage smiling and giving you the best time of your life through his music. Soooo, when I saw the announcement I got really really excited and booked my tickets right away.
Considering December 1st is also the National Day (of course work holiday too :D), this is great news! The whole Romanian community will celebrate in style with some really hot names from the trance scene: Paul Van Dyk, Jordan Suckley, Alex M.O.R.P.H. and our own Bogdan Vix. Needless to say these are all great music people and amazing DJs. Saw all of them before on the stage, and they simply know how to please a crowd.
The event will take place at Kristal Club, in Bucharest and will open its doors starting 10pm. Early bird tickets are already on sale for the price of 100 Ron (around 22 euros). You can grab yours here.
The hosts, INPUT, are brand new in the scene, but I really hope they will continue. I know they have support from TrancEnDance, so there if definitely some legacy. Beside taking care of an amazing line up and cool location, they also announced that the lights, visuals, the show will be provided by one of the best people in Romania - Arena Events. These guys were behind some nice festivals here, like Untold, Afterhills, Electric Castle, Neversea, so I am expecting greatness!
No more words for me now. Since I am speachless with all these news. I'll just go and warm up for a month for this event! Hope you'll do the same! Trance on!
Also, don't forget to RSVP to the official Facebook event.
PS. Stay close! A full review of Paul's album is coming soon!
Grotesque Indoor Festival #300: Mardi Gras
Something pretty just got into my inbox the other days! PT Events is coming with a very nice theme for the 8th edition of Grotesque Indoor Festival at Rotterdam Maassilo on December 9th: the one and only American Mardi Gras! I am following Grotesque for a while now and it is quite interesting to see them constantly improving and coming with new catchy ideas for their events.
There will be 3 stages: Trance, Psy& Tech and House Classics. Aside of these 3, they made room for a special Silent Disco Party for a better stimulation of your senses. The theme, as announced, will be the center piece of this event and expect the production to be flawless. I am thinking at a party full of colours, fun costumes, amazing vibes and of course good music!
“With new inspiration and last years positive responses, were planning to go a step further. Acrobatics, humor and sensation will be the main feeling and vibe in the three areas but also in the corridors, at the festival market or the lounge area! #GIF300 is more than the average club night!” – PTEvents.
And since there is no event without a perfect lineup, Grotesque Indoor Festival #300 chose some really great names for this year: 2nd Phase, Adam Seller, Dano, Darren Porter, Fausto, Indecent Noise, Marco V, Mark Sherry, Ram, Renji, Reorder, Santito, Snejder, Spider, Standerwick, Super8 & Tab, Toyax and MC Da Silva. Of course, as a music lover I would love to see them all, but since there are 3 stages, I would just probably do a mix between them all and go with the flow. We all know the plan from home is never the same with the madness on the dancefloor.
It all sounds great and the expectations are really high. Altough chances of me being there are pretty low, since my holiday days are so close to zero, I would not miss it if I were you. Think only about the music and this should get you excited. Add the line up and the theme on top of it and you'll have something to remember. And if this is not enough, just watch the after-movie of last year's edition.
You can buy your tickets here and also RSVP to the Facebook event here.
Also, if the after movie is not enough, you can warm up all your senses with a 24 h radio show hosted by Ram on November 4th and 5th and a sick line up!
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Grotesque Indoor Festival is the largest indoor Trance Festival in The Netherlands. Focusing on production, special entertainment, artistry, theater-inspired elements and performers, it for sure markets it the most innovation and thought-of events in Western Europe.
TRANCE MEMORIES OF THIS SUMMER: TND STAGE AT TIMESHIFT [DAY 2/3]
Yeeeey! Giuseppe Ottaviani day!
I posted the pics from Timeshift day 2 on Trancers.ro page the other days, but didn't had the chance to sit, relive that amazing night and put down my thoughts about it. Now, that I am thinking about it (while listening to a new set from Giuseppe, of course!) cannot belive it was real!
It all started with me running from the other side of Bucharest to the venue for THE most important meeting of this summer: meeting with Giuseppe and finally a very nice chat with him. Even tough I've seen him before at other events and said hi, nothing compares with actually sitting in front of him for almost an hour and talking with him about music. I was a highlight I will never forget and I am over the moon (even now, months after the event) that he accepted my invitation. From seeing him prepare for the set to listening his thoughts about this industry, everything went perfect. You can read all about it here.
After having this interview, we went back to the hotel to prepare for the new night. We got back to the venue right when Markus Schulz was about to start playing. We lost Yoel Lewis and Arkhnam Nights, but I heard they were great! Markus has a really entertaining set. Even tough I am not a huge huge fan, I liked it and danced my shoes off it! Proper warm-up for what was about to come.
Giuseppe had a great set. Obviously. I could never be dissapointed by what he does. Started with a couple of IDs, continued with more IDs, but also played tracks like: Loneliest Night with Tricia McTeague, Home with Jennifer Rene, Lumina, Firefly with Kyler England, Prophecy (PureNRG) or some Romanian trance from Starpicker - Sinophia.
As he lately does on his Live 2.0 shows, he had multiple camera capturing the set. And, a part of it was streamed live on his monthly Go On Air 2.0. Check it out and tell me if I am wrong with saying how great it was!
After Giuseppe, it was time for the one and only Standerwick to come and make us fall in love again with trance music. Not only he had a great set, but we enjoying the sunrise with him playing was something I will not forget too soon. We had a lot of funny moments in the backstage too, before the set and I am happy I got to see the goofy Ian again.
Awesome memories. Awesome people to see again. Awesome music to dance. Awesome goosebumps to have! This is the long story short of my second day of Timeshift. I hope you had an amazing one too. From what I saw over the social media, you had a great one. Memories from 3rd day and a very special semi guest post coming very soon on Trancers.ro! Stay close!
Trance memories of this summer: TND stage at Timeshift [Day 1/3]
I was editing the photos the other days and all the feels hit me back! The TrancENDance stage at Timeshift was the highlight of this year for the Romanian Trance Community. I wrote about the festival and my expectations here, so I won't be bothering you again with these. I will just tell THE story.
Even though the festival started on Thursday, the first day meant for me and for a lot of people Friday. Friday, because that was the first day with trance music. The first day where we could go and enjoy the sets of Hazem Beltagui, Estiva, Ruben de Ronde, Cosmic Gate, John O Callaghan, Ben Nicky and Bogdan Vix.
And this above picture sums it all for me: amazing music, people and great artists. Of course I chose John O'Callaghan as representative for the first night, because it was the best set of the night (at least for me). It was the set that made me put down the camera, the phone and just enjoy every second of it. Starting with Two Trees and going on with so many amazing tracks, from which I remember: John O'Callaghan ft. Audrey Gallaghar - Big Sky, John O' Callaghan feat. Sarah Howells - Find Yourself, Cold Blue - Once in Time, Maria Healy - Desiderata (Giuseppe Ottaviani remix) made indeed a perfect set. I would love to re-live it, but sadly there is nowhere to be found. Aaaand the highlight of the highlight set was when John played one of my all time favorties: PPK - Ressurection. That made me go all goosebumpy and forget about the world. The only things that mattered were right there. On the dancefloor. The music. The artist. Me. My friends.
Of course I enjoyed the others sets too. Of course I enjoyed seeing again my duo music crush Cosmic Gate and relive all the nice memories I have with them. The crowd went crazy on their set. No matter if it was a newer track or a classic we grew up with. I enjoyed seeing Ben Nicky and the crazy man he is.
I enjoyed Ruben De Ronde's set and I still belive he is the right man for the job when we talk about warm-ups for a great party. I am not too much into the progressive / warm up sound because I am the type of girl that could go straight into crazy mode on the dancefloor at any time and I prefer the more uplifting part of trance. I listen to progressive at the office, I am ok with it at events and I get the need of it, but 3 full sets of that were a bit too much for me for the first day of Timeshift. I am not saying I didn't enjoyed them. Hazem Belatgui had a really good set and crushed my soul into pieces when he played Paul Van Dyk - New York City (do not recall if it was the original, a remix; I am too bad in properly recognizing this). Estiva is an uber energetic man and I liked what he did with and for the crowd. I just got into a point where I was very close to boredomness. I just wanted a change in the rythm. But that's just me. Beside that, I enjoyed seeing the crowd feeling it. I enjoyed seeing the crowd sing along almost every song and have a great time.
It was overall a very good day and I am happy I got the chance to reconnect with some friends. I am glad I got to see again Bogdan Vix, the man that hold the fort for 3 full days for all of us. It was a very emotional reunion for the whole community as well, because of all that happened with Snatt and we knew this event happened because of him and his dreams too. Snatt & Vix was (and still is) a representative duo for Romania and for the Romanian Trance Scene. Huge huge thanks to them for keeping it alive and kicking!
If I would have to mention some of the downsides of this festival, these would be: bad/ pour management/ organization, pricy, but very pricy, and few to zero security. It all began with me going for my press badge and waiting for it for around one full hour. Don't get me wrong. I am not in for the free pass hunt. I am in this for the music. And for all the artists I appreciate and try to support every day. But, if I can take the blog with me I will take it everywhere. It is a part of me. It is the part where I tell all my trance stories. Either it is all unicorns and rainbows, either it's not.
I need at least a paragraph or 2 to let it all out (well, the long story short, at least.) The organization and people behind the festival were a bit overwhelmed by the situations. At the entrance no one would check your bag or at least your entrance pass. No one seemed to care a bit about security. No one seemed to care too much about the consequences about not properly check the people entering at the event.
The TrancENDance stage was the best stage that could happen to this festival. It was the soul of it. It made it the soul for me. Timeshift couldn't be the festival it was without it, no matter what others might say. I know this business can be pretty harsh, and it is not that easy to manage a festival of this magnitude, but the only good thing was the TND stage. The artists, the music, the people and the overall management of things. Kudos to Bogdan, Eko and the other nice people that put their lives, their souls into making this happen! Trance on!
Trance weekend in review: Trance Horizons, Chisinau [on the road]
It's been a while since I last wrote a review for an event I attended, but I have to tell you about this one. Trance Horizons in Chisinau was out of this world. At least for me. It was an event full of emotions, new challenges and amazing people.
Like all my travels to Chisinau, Moldova it all started with the ride there. Well, with the preparations to go there: prepare t shirt, prepare camera, get more sleep (not) to be prepared for at least 24 hours with none aaaand finally with the ride: gather all the friends and drive to the venue. Of course, wait patiently at the customs to cross the border, and so on. I always do the same. It became a tradition.
We first went to the meet and greet. A very nice meet and greet from what I understood close to nothing. Being in a room with moldavians and 2 russians, definitely didn't help. But luckily, Feel (Philip) and Alexander Popov were kind enough to speak a bit of English too. Exchanged a lot of smiles and heard a lot of jokes, kindly translated to me by Mihai (one of the promoters).
This meet and greet has a special place in my heart also, because I finally got to interview Alexander Popov. Since we were to be in the same place for a couple of hours, I couldn't lose this oportunity. So stay close, video (yes, video) interview is coming soon on Trancers's Youtube channel.
After all the greetings and, of course, photos we finally headed to the venue. I must admit: the venue was way too fancy for me. I usually do not go in such places. I wasn't even dressed for "the occasion". Since a trance event for me means T-shirt, jeans and sneakers I felt a bit out like an intruder when we got there. Buuuut, music got to me and I got over it pretty fast.
The line up was pretty well balanced. Deepshader has a very nice warm-up set and also played some of my all time favorites. The Age of Love beeing one of them. Do not ask me if it was the original, a remix, a mash-up, etc, because I do not know. I only heard something I like and I always forget or fail to recognize de right version.
I saw Dj Feel and Alexander Spark playing for the first time, and I must admit, I liked it. Even tough I am not into that sound anymore, he had a really nice set. There were some small technical difficulties at the beginning, but Feel managed to quickly get over them. I do not remember too many of the tracks they played, but I remember having a blast dancing. And that makes a good set for me.
I last saw Alexander Popov around 3 years ago, when he came to Bucharest for Armada Night and I enjoyed every minute of his set. Without doubt, this happened again in Chisinau. Very energetic, very nicely put together. He also played some classics, some new tracks and I coudln't sit down for a second! A lot of vocal tracks too, so I turned in full mode karaoke. I knew I would not have a voice anymore the second day, but that is the smallest of my problems. :)
The highlight of that night was without doubt seeing Andrei (Nikolauss) play again. I will always support him no matter what. That's what girlfriends do. That's what love does. So, even tough it was 4 am int he morning, even tough I was pretty tired, when I saw him at the decks everything stoped and all the energy came back to me. I do not care about technicalities, I do not care about mistakes. I do not care about anything that he was there. And the crowd (few that remained) enjoyed every minute of his set. Sssssserious uplifting(y)! I will never forget him starting the set with Mauro Picotto - Unthinkable (Astuni & Manuel LE Saux Re-Lift), leading the crowd to complete madness on Nikolauss - Speedforce and ending in style with Giuseppe Ottaviani - One Day.
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I had a blast and I will never forget my first talks with Mihai about trance events in Chisinau. Very passionate trance man. I really love how he and Mihail are working together to do more for the community no matter the loses. They started with a small party a couple of months ago, a party I played to (yes, I sometimes play too) and now continued with something bigger. Hopefully all will be ok and they will continue this work. Cheers to that!
I also took some photos, you can find them on the Trancers.ro Facebook page.
Videos and more stories about the trance adventure coming soon!
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